In our last post, we explored what it takes to become effective at content marketing. Now that your mind is filled with amazing content ideas that reflect your brand and will no doubt engage your audience, a new question arises… How will I package and deliver this content to my audience?

According to a recent study from the Content Marketing Institute, marketers uses an average of 13 content marketing tactics. These tactics can take many forms to achieve different purposes… the key to effective content marketing is to find the outlets that are right for you and your audience. Let’s take a look at some options:

1. Connect

Connection with your customers is one of the highest goals of a content marketer. True content marketing goes far beyond self promotion to encourage true engagement and a two-way conversation between brand and consumer.

The #1 tactic that content marketers are using is social media, whether they’re building a presence on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Google+ (just to name a few). Although not all marketers have confidence that their social media efforts are working, the adoption rates continue to soar. Social media can be a great way to build your brand’s voice & persona while becoming the star outlet for spreading all this content you’re creating.

2. Educate

Be an expert! Consumers today are thirsty for knowledge and looking for companies who are the experts in their field. Blogging is an exceedingly effective method of generating content and sharing your know-how, and these can be created fairly quickly (just don’t forget to post on the regular!).

White papers, though longer form than blogs, are another fantastic way to educate your audience. One idea is to elaborate on an existing blog with additional research to create a white paper. From there, you can even create a case study on how your company helped a customer with this particular issue, demonstrating your commitment to your customers while confirming your expertise on that subject.

Paint a picture. Infographics are a visual way of sharing information, whether it be ideas, statistics or trends, showing the reader what they want to know in one pretty package (see our newest infographic above). Between 2010 and 2012, the search volume for infographics on Google increased by 800%… these are definitely powerful tools for your content marketing arsenal.

Write what you know and write it well, and you could quickly become the go-to source for education in your field of expertise.

3. Entertain

Cat videos get clicks, but it doesn’t mean they will get you customers. Entertain your audience in a way that makes sense for your brand by generating interesting content and presenting it in an entertaining way. Build a voice for your brand and be consistent and engaging. Customers will respond positively when done right. Videos, blogs, social media accounts – really, any thing that you publish – is a way to entertain and engage your audience with a likable, relatable persona.

4. Inform

Use different content marketing tactics to update your audience on what’s happening in your company and the industry as a whole. Newsletters, eBooks, digital and print magazines all serve as informational hubs for your customers to learn more and continue envisioning you as an expert. Experimenting with these different types of content will allow you to understand what your customers engage with the most.

5. Host

Whether in person or online, hosting an event connects you with your audience and lends credibility to your expert persona. To start, try training sessions, webinars on specializations within your field, or podcasts featuring one of your company’s specialists.

A content marketing cocktail is your best bet… each tactic you employ will lead you to customers at different stages in the buying cycle. So stretch your content creation muscles, pick up that pen and start creating content today. Your audience (and your bottom line) will thank you for it!

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About The Author

Courtney Todd brings over ten years marketing and communications experience to her role at Distribion. She specializes in B2B marketing and has worked in a range of industries including technology, luxury furniture manufacturing and healthcare. She holds an MFA from Columbia University in New York and a BA from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Connect with Courtney on LinkedIn and Twitter.